Sakakibara Onsen x Nordic Walking! Enjoy a moment of healing throughout your body with a healthy and luxurious experience program unique to Sakakibara!

The Sakakibara area is located in the western part of TsuCity at the foot of the AoyamaPlateau.
In the old days, it was called Nanakuri Kamimura, but the name came from the fact that Sakaki, which grew wild in this area, was presented to IseJingu and used in rituals. It is said that the place name became ``Sakakibara''.

And when you come to Sakakibara, you cannot miss "Sakakibara Onsen".
Sakakibara Onsen, which is also a transit point from Kyoto to Ise, is also a hot spring that has been closely associated with IseJingu since ancient times as the place of ``bath spa''!
*Yugori means to purify yourself with hot water.

In addition, the quality of the spring water is so great that Sei Shonagon praised it in his Pillow Book as ``Yu Hanakuri-no-Yu, Arima-no-Yu, Tamatsukuri-no-Yu,'' and it is even considered one of the three famous hot springs.
From the Kamakura period to the Muromachi period, many poems were composed about Sakakibara Onsen as a ``love hot spring cure'' to heal the illness of love.


What's more, it's also known as a hot spring for beautiful skin because it leaves your skin smooth and smooth after bathing, and it's expected to have preventive medicine effects, antioxidant effects, and more, so it's truly a hot spring full of good things!

A variety of new experience programs are starting to allow you to fully enjoy the Sakakibara area, which has both such rich nature and hot springs!
This time, I participated in one of them, "Sakakibara Nordic Walking"♪

The meeting place is "Sakakibara Natural Forest Hot Spring Recreation Center Yunose". This is a multipurpose plaza in the area with a large parking lot and restrooms.

Nordic walking is walking using two thin poles.
By using these poles, you can reduce the burden on your lower back and knees, you can keep your stride wider than normal walking, and you can also train your upper body by swinging your arms back and forth, so you can train your entire body efficiently. You can exercise!

After checking in, the first thing I was shown to was the footbath!
A footbath before walking is something you can only do at a hot spring area.

Of course, the water used for the footbath is from Sakakibara Onsen!
I'm floating a bag of Heutomi in the hot water that I just brought in this morning.
Soaking in this footbath for 10 to 15 minutes before walking is said to have the effect of promoting blood circulation, making it easier to move, and relieving muscle pain after exercise!
Your body will also feel warm♪

After finishing the footbath and relaxing your body with warm-up exercises, the instructor will teach you walking posture and how to hold the poles.
Most of the participants on this day were beginners, but the lectures were thorough so don't worry.

After about 20 minutes of walking lecture in the plaza, we were ready to go!
Let's go for a walk in Sakakibara town!

First, we will walk along the path along the Sakakibara River.
The interview took place in late June. Vibrant hydrangeas bloom along the riverside road, adding color to the scenery.
The sound of the flowing river is also soothing.

Everyone who felt awkward handling the pole at first got used to it by this point. So that you can enjoy the surrounding scenery ♪

After walking for a while, the scenery changes to a rural landscape.
The lush rice seedlings swaying in the wind is a unique sight to see at this time of year. It looks very beautiful against today's blue sky.

In the distance, you can see AoyamaPlateau lined with wind turbines.

Furthermore, at the end of the road lined with private houses, there is a large rice field art!
This is something that the children of Sakakibara take the lead in planting and creating every year, and it has now become a summer tradition in Sakakibara.

This year's theme is the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic torch designed by local elementary school students!
*The best time to see them is until around August.

The walk continues at a leisurely pace, with occasional stops for everyone to take a break and enjoy the scenery.
By walking on a variety of paths, including paved roads, uneven grassy roads, and slopes, you will never get tired of walking, and you will be able to reach the end of your walk in no time.

As you come into view of the hot spring inn town, there is a “hot spring sales office”!
This is a "hot spring stand" where you can purchase 20 liters of hot spring water for 10 yen.
These spots are also highlights that can only be found in hot spring areas.

After walking for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, we returned to the starting point.
After completing the cool-down exercises, fill out the questionnaire.

``I feel like my legs aren't as tired as walking normally'' ``It's good for my arms!'' ``The weather was nice and the scenery was beautiful and it felt good'' ``Even though I usually drive by, I don't walk.'' There were various comments from everyone, such as "I'm glad I was able to walk on the road."

After completing the survey, you will receive a long-awaited lunch box and a bathing ticket to Sakakibara Onsen!
I look forward to the contents of the lunch box every time, and on this day it was a roast beef bowl from “Kitchen Shiro” which just opened in Sakakibara in 2020 ♪

The bathing ticket is valid only for the same day.
Let's heal the fatigue of walking at Sakakibara Onsen before heading home!



In addition to this program, you can enjoy various experience programs in the Sakakibara area ♪

⚫︎Mountain bike trail guided tour
A trail guided tour where you can ride a mountain bike through the forest from AoyamaPlateau to Sakakibara.
You can enjoy the exhilarating feeling of running on a specially prepared trail course that takes advantage of the natural topography! Don't worry, you will be transported by car for the climb♪

⚫︎Farmland DE direct sales
As you can see from the landscape of expanding fields, the Sakakibara area is home to many people who grow vegetables in their own fields.
You can ride your bicycle to the fields of Sakakibara and enjoy interacting with the locals, harvesting delicious vegetables yourself, shopping, and even meeting and talking with the farmers who grow them. It's a program!

It also brings joy and fulfillment to the farmers of Sakakibara.

⚫︎Hot spring dock
Sakakibara has four unique hospitals, including baths with hot spring water!

Taking advantage of these characteristics, ``Onsen Doc'' is a program that is currently under development in collaboration with local hospitals to ``become healthy in Sakakibara'' by combining Sakakibara Onsen and medical care with activities and meals!
We are looking forward to the hot spring x medical program unique to Sakakibara!


The appeal of all of the above programs is that you can enjoy a day trip bath at Sakakibara Onsen!
The organization that implements these activities is the Sakakibara Regional Farm Stay Promotion Council.

The Sakakibara Regional Farm Stay Promotion Council aims to create opportunities for people to visit Sakakibara through experience programs such as agricultural experiences and activities that make use of Sakakibara's natural resources such as mountains and fields, and to promote the hot springs and hot springs that are already a major attraction of the region. This is an activity group established in 2020 with the aim of increasing the number of hotel guests and hot spring users by having people enjoy together.


``You can enjoy the whole day at Sakakibara, including experiences, meals, hot springs, and lodging.We hope that by having customers come, the accommodation facilities and local farmers will be happy as well,'' the council said. Everyone spoke.

After being active in nature, experiencing farming, and enjoying delicious local food, you can refresh yourself in a hot spring that will soothe your fatigue (and improve your skin!). A healthy and luxurious program that can only be found here.
You can forget about the hustle and bustle of everyday life and have a relaxing time with your entire body.


Please check the Sakakibara Onsen Promotion Association website for the schedule and application for each program!

~ Enjoy the hot springs along with the experience program! The following 5 accommodations are available in Sakakibara! ~


Yumoto Sakakibarakan
Address: 5970 Sakakibara-cho, TsuCity City, Mie Prefecture
Phone number/059-252-0206
https://www.yumoto-sakaki.co.jp/


Sei Shonagon
Address: 6010 Sakakibara-cho, TsuCity City, Mie Prefecture
Phone number/059-252-0048
https://www.seishounagon.co.jp/


Shinyukan
Address: 5079 Sakakibara-cho, TsuCity City, Mie Prefecture
Phone number/059-252-0001
https://www.yumoto-sakaki.co.jp/


Hot water bath
Address: 6094-2 Sakakibara-cho, TsuCity City, Mie Prefecture
Phone number/059-252-3176


Ajiraku
Address: 5054 Sakakibara-cho, TsuCity City, Mie Prefecture
Phone number/059-252-0040


*Bathing tickets distributed after the experience can be used at designated facilities.

Sakakibara Area Farm Stay Promotion Council
Address: Sakakibara-cho, TsuCity City, Mie Prefecture
Official URL／https://sakakibara-onsen.jp/
Access by public transportation/Shuttle bus for each facility from Kintetsu Sakakibara Onsenguchi Station
Access by car: Approximately 20 minutes by car from Hisai IC on the Ise Expressway